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Corporate Venture Capital

Biography

Mel is a member of Cerity Partners Ventures as an Advisor to their food & agriculture practice.

Previously, Mel was a Managing Director at Touchdown Ventures, which pioneered “venture capital as a service” by partnering with leading corporations to manage their venture capital programs.

Mel has 25 years of corporate venture capital experience across multiple industries. Mel joined Touchdown in 2021 after previously launching the investment program at Mondelēz International focused on investments in better for you snacking. Previously, he launched the venture programs of Synchrony Financial and US Cellular. Mel started his corporate venture capital career in 2000 as the first controller of Motorola Ventures, after having spent more than a decade in functional accounting and finance roles across various Motorola business units.

Mel, a long time Chicagoland resident, currently resides in Chicago with his wife and two kids.

Learn more about Cerity Partners Corporate Venture Capital.

Education

  • BS in Accounting from the University of Illinois, Chicago
  • MBA in Finance from DePaul University

Highlights

  • Having been a part of four CVCs, before joining Touchdown Ventures
  • Board member / observer for several startups
  • Frequent speaker, panelist, and startup competition judge

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